^ Going to be in the US Fiesta next year according to Autoweek. Only thing that bothers me is the "maintence free" timing belt that runs through oil.

At the Ford Nationals last year I drove most of the cars/suvs they brought through an autocross course they had set up. Eventhough all were auto trans, the Fiesta was the most fun. A turbo 3 with a M/T would be a blast and get good mpg.

^ Lots of interesting stuff in that video. The "wet" timing belt is definitely weird. Apparently the exhaust manifold is cast into the head, and it looks like the oil pump has some sort of variable volume control.

^ Lots of interesting stuff in that video. The "wet" timing belt is definitely weird. Apparently the exhaust manifold is cast into the head, and it looks like the oil pump has some sort of variable volume control.

I had to watch it a couple times, but the wet belt looks like it is really a chain that got poor CGI. If you look carefully there is a second chain that drives the submerged variable displacment oil pump.

Ford has always had a thing for cast in manifolds, remember the old Falcon six?

Interesting stuff? Was looking at a new Ford Hybrid last week, water jacketed exhaust coming off the head.

Ford has always had a thing for cast in manifolds, remember the old Falcon six?

That's the first thing I thought of when I saw it, but IIRC those were intake manifolds.

Chevrolet flirted with this for at least a while in the 70's. My Dad had a mid-1970's Nova with a 250 inline 6 with a cast-in intake. The heads on these engines were notorious for cracking. He wound up swapping to a later engine with a separate intake at some point.

Wow, so they are doing a wet belt. That's rare. Almost every manufacturer has gone away from belts and back to chains for durability reasons. Countless engines were turned to scrap when the belts aged and broke. Ford's 1.6 CVH was famous for that.

The ECU controlled oil pump is surprising. I have seen the variable displacment pumps before, thinking of some automatic transmissions. But that is a good way to cut pumping losses.

I work in a field where I am CONSTANTLY dealing with ruined rubber parts that are supposedly "oil resistant", and frequently labeled as such: Buna-N butterfly valves that swell and don't fully close, centrifuge lid seals that turn into some asinine version of bacon, shaker air springs that rot & burst.

Rubber simply has NO PLACE in an oily environment if it can POSSIBLY be avoided, and this idea of Ford's is patently RIDICULOUS.

I work in a field where I am CONSTANTLY dealing with ruined rubber parts that are supposedly "oil resistant", and frequently labeled as such: Buna-N butterfly valves that swell and don't fully close, centrifuge lid seals that turn into some asinine version of bacon, shaker air springs that rot & burst.

Rubber simply has NO PLACE in an oily environment if it can POSSIBLY be avoided, and this idea of Ford's is patently RIDICULOUS.